


Empathy in a Time of Minor Crisis

by Lilyliegh



Series: Yuuya Appreciation Week 2017 [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, Exams, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 21:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11814765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilyliegh/pseuds/Lilyliegh
Summary: Exams bring about all sorts of anxiety, but Yuuya is there to support his friends Yuuto, Yuugo, and Yuuri when they need it most.





	Empathy in a Time of Minor Crisis

**Author's Note:**

> for Yuuya Appreciation Week: day 03 - tears. so this was probably meant to be a sad prompt, but i made it happy ^^ go figure.

“Sun’s out, guns out!” Yuugo says at seven am after they tried – and failed – to pull an all-nighter studying for their finals. Yuuya looks up at him, peering through the foggy glasses once filled with soda; around the stacks of textbooks that are stained with the aforementioned soda; and over the dozens of papers, pens, and snack wrappers that are scattered around their study area. Yuuya can’t say it was a particularly  _ productive  _ study night, but he has completed one of his term papers and studied for an exam, and that’s more work than he’s done in several days.

It still doesn’t mean Yuugo of all people should be awake, kicking his feet under the table to wake everyone up. On either side of him, Yuuto and Yuuri have their faces pressed into books, ink marks on their pale cheeks. Yuuto looks up first and blinks the sleep out of his eyes, looking around blearily first at Yuugo, and then at Yuuya. “Huh …?”

Yuuri reaches across the table and swats at Yuugo’s general direction. “Shut the  _ fuck  _ up, Yuugo. The sun is up at five am; that doesn’t mean we should be awake either.”

Relentless, Yuuya sees Yuugo lean down to snake his feet further towards Yuuri, only he misses and ends up playing footsie with Yuuya for a moment. Yuuya feels the blush on his cheeks when Yuugo’s toes massage his thigh, before the pressure fades away with Yuugo dragging his foot along the tops of Yuuya’s thighs. 

A moment later, Yuuri throws himself forward, hands at Yuugo’s throat. “Some of us  _ sleep,  _ Yuugo! Some of us didn’t pass out first, and some of us finished our work! That means those lucky people should get to sleep and not get woken up by slackers!” Each sentence is punctuated by an emphatic shake that makes Yuugo’s head loll back and forth. When Yuuri lets him go though, Yuugo stands right as rain and chuckles. He’s the only one with enough energy to be skipping around – a rare sight considering more than once Yuuya has had to drag Yuugo out of his bed.

He and Yuugo are roommates, Yuuya a drama major and Yuugo an engineering major. How Yuugo got into engineering is still a mystery to them. Yuuto is Yuuya’s high school friend, a sweet-but-edgy kind of guy studying mathematics. Yuuya thinks Yuuto will someday go on to be a professor or something equally impressive, but at the moment Yuuto loathes university with a burning passion. And then there’s Yuuri, a biology major who can push all of Yuugo’s buttons at the same time as Yuugo pushes his. They met Yuuri in the cafeteria one day and sat with him because he was taking up an entire booth to himself.

Like that time when they squished into a booth with Yuuri, they’re studying; and like that time, they’re sleep-deprived and brain-dead, and the only things keeping them going are coffee and Yuugo’s enthusiasm. The difference is that all of them need to pass their classes, resulting in a high level of panic in the house. Yuuto has slept over every night, too afraid that if he goes back to his own dorm he’ll get sucked into gaming with Shun all night and he won’t study. And Yuuri … Yuuri showed up last night with a backpack and said he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Yuuya has yet to question him about it.

In the kitchen, Yuugo busies himself with pouring orange juice for everyone; they don’t have coffee in their dorm, and they’ve been too busy to go shopping. It’s all Yuugo can offer anyone, but he still does it with a smile, pushing a glass into Yuuya’s hands. “Drink up!”

Yuuya smiles and takes a sip. “Thanks, Yuugo,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

“Right as rain!”

Yuuya chuckles. He sets his glass down and brings two more to his friends, where he places them in Yuuto and Yuuri’s hands because there isn’t any room on the table. When neither of the two boys raise their heads, Yuuya leans in close and whispers, “Yuuto, you have an exam at noon, don’t you?”

Yuuto’s head nearly collides with Yuuya’s nose; he looks up, eyes red, and moans. “Right!”

Head still on the coffee table, Yuuri says, “Lucky you then. The very first exam of the week.” A pause. “Sucks to be you.”

And with those words, the happiness seems to slip out of the room, disappearing out the windows and darkening the entire room. Deep in Yuuya’s heart, he too feels some anxiety. This is everyone’s first year of university and none of them are prepared for finals. No one knows what to expect, and what they’ve learned doesn’t seem proficient for a massive test. Yuuya’s stomach churns as he imagines sitting in a room with hundreds of other student for hours taking a test, not being able to get up to take a break. He’d much rather write another paper than have to sit through a test.

Sighing, Yuuya sets a hand on Yuuto’s shoulders. “We’re here for you. I’ll wait outside of the exam room for you, and we’ll go out for coffee afterwards. It … looks like you need it.”

Yuuto tries to brush him off: “But don’t you need to study too?”

Yuuya shakes his head. “My exam is at the end of the week, after everyone else is done theirs. I’ll come to support you guys, even bring my study notes with me while I wait – and then we’ll go out together. Sounds like a plan?”

After a breath out, Yuuto nods. “All right.” His lips twist from side to side, and then he smiles. When Yuuto smiles, his cheeks rise up and his eyes twist down, and his soul bleeds through. “Thanks, Yuuya.”

Yuuto chugs the rest of his orange juice, and then gets up to throw himself together for the day. While Yuuto prepares himself for his exam, Yuuya cleans up the mess on the table and organises his own notes. From the amount of wrappers and plates, Yuuya supposes he might need to go grocery shopping tonight to get more food if any of them will make it through this hellish exam week. 

That, and they should order takeout. 

During the time that Yuuya cleans up, Yuuri never rises from the table, and Yuugo only comes out of the kitchen to say that there is nothing in their house but orange juice and crackers, so he’s going shopping for more snacks. Yuuya isn’t sure what Yuugo will come back with – not food for proper dinners, of that Yuuya is certain – but he bids him farewell.

The house is quieter now, anxiety bubbling just under the surface. Yuuya shakes himself awake as he dresses in cargo pants and a t-shirt, wanting to keep cosy if he’s going to be sitting outside of the exam room waiting for Yuuto. He brushes out his hair and adjusts his goggles, his goodluck charm from his childhood. When he’s ready, Yuuya waits outside the bathroom door for Yuuto, who comes out looking much healthier. He’s still tired, but with his hair brushed and dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt, he looks ready to face the exam.

“Ready to go?” Yuuto says, grabbing his pencil case.

Yuuya looks back towards the table. “You … aren’t going to take your notes with you?”

Yuuto shakes his head. “If I don’t know the material now, there’s no way I’ll memorise it before the exam. I’m going to be OK.”

Yuuya wishes he could have the same confidence like Yuuto. He feels so unprepared for the exam; maybe Yuuto does too, but he also looks ready to take on the challenge. When he walks out the door, his shoulders are squared and his head is held high. Yuuya trudges along behind him, trying to keep up a smile that pinches his cheeks.

Outside, the sun is shining down on them as a memento of good luck. The campus is busy with students dashing from one building to the next, lying out on the fields to study, or heading to the library for some peace and quiet. Yuuy wonders if he might have gotten more studying done in the library; while studying with friends in his dorm room was nice, he supposes that they did get a bit sidetracked come two am when Yuuri started taking vodka shots to keep himself awake.

Ahead of him, Yuuto doesn’t stop until he’s at the doors to the mathematics wing. He holds the door open but does not enter; instead, he looks back at Yuuya. “Are you going to wait in the hall or something?”

“Yeah,” Yuuya says with a nod. “I want to see you when you leave and when you come back.”

Yuuto smiles at that too. He lets go of the door, and the same arm snakes over Yuuya’s shoulder and along his shoulder blades. Yuuto embraces him in a tight hug, head leaning against Yuuya’s. When he breathes in deeply, Yuuya feels it against his own chest. “You’re someone special, Yuuya. You’re always there for your friends.” One of his hands drops down to pull something out of his pocket, and Yuuto presses a couple bills into Yuuya’s hands. “Go buy yourself a coffee or something. You like like you need it and …” Yuuto squeezes him tightly. “You deserve it.”

They break apart after that, Yuuto stepping through the doors with a wave to Yuuya. For a moment, Yuuya keeps standing and watching Yuuto’s retreating form through the doors, not quite sure what to do next. The bills in his hands are crumpled up from being in his sweaty palms, and he pockets the money before he tears it apart. 

Yuuto is … 

Yuuto is someone that cares. He works hard and does his best, and he’s so confident without being explicit about it. Under his skin there’s rock-hard, impenetrable strength. He doesn’t give up on himself, and even though he has worries, he doesn’t let them drag him down. When the going gets tough, Yuuto gets stronger. And … and it makes Yuuya’s heart beat faster to see his friend so confident and happy, striding into the test with high hopes. Yuuya is grateful that Yuuto can remain so strong in the face of unknown adversity.

Smiling, Yuuya spins on his heels and heads back towards the cafeteria. The campus is busy, and the cafeteria and coffee shop even busier. All the tables are taken up by students studying or snoozing, both by themselves and in pairs. There’s a lulling chatter throughout the room, complemented by the clinking of tea cups against saucers. At the counter, Yuuya orders the largest size vanilla latte - something both sweet and highly caffeinated that will get him through studying outside of Yuuto’s exam room.

He brings it back to the mathematics building and scouts out an alcove near the exam room, a cosy corner with two tables and chairs. Because this building isn’t a major meeting point for many students, both tables are open. This spot also looks out a window into a quaint garden, and so Yuuya sets up his study station at the tables. He positions himself so he can still see the door open if anyone leaves the exam room, and that he can also look out the window.

Study notes and pencil case on the table, Yuuya slinks down. Just before he begins focusing, he pulls out his phone. There’s a new message from Yuugo, reading,  _ halp, hello pandas are on sale and i can’t carry 20 boxes home!!!!! >< _

Well, so much for meals. Yuugo is buying snacks. 

Yuuya settles down for studying after that, going over his notes and rewriting them; testing himself with cue cards when he thinks he’s understood the content, and studying more when he realises he knows far little about drama terms than he thought. At the back of his mind, Yuuya wonders how Yuuto is doing. Yuuto is a studious learner, and though he didn’t stay up the latest last night, he’s got the highest grades among them and a strong work ethic. It’s likely that he’ll have one of the highest grades in his class.

After the first hour, students are allowed to leave the exam room. Yuuya lifts his head as three students step out; a minute later, two more follow. None of them are Yuuto, and he expects that his friend will take at least two hours. 

Back to studying then. Yuuya buries his face in his notes, and doesn’t look up until the door swings open and a group of students come out. Yuuto is among them, looking a bit grey around the face but overall faring far better than Yuuya imagines he will do at the end of the week. 

Waving, Yuuya invites Yuuto over. He pushes his cold latte towards him, and though it must not taste that good, Yuuto still takes it and chugs it back. 

“Why don’t we go and get another one?” Yuuya says. “I’ll even treat you this time.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Yuuto says. He stretches his arms above his head, and his spine cracks once, twice, before he lowers his arms with a lazy smile. “Thanks for hanging around though. I really appreciate it.”

Yuuya beams at the praise while he gathers up his notes and slips them into his messenger bag. Once he’s ready to go, Yuuto ensures that they head back to the dorm room instead of lingering around campus. He’s hungry and Yuugo’s gone shopping, and snacks are better than overpriced cafeteria food. Yuuya stops insisting once they’re heading up the stairs to the dorm rooms. His heart keeps beating while Yuuto tells him about the exam questions and how easy they were. It gives a bit of hope for Yuuya, who in his heart is worried that he’ll fail his own exam.

At the top of the stairs, Yuuto puts a hand on Yuuya’s shoulder. “Just keep smiling,” he says. “You’re doing great.”

The words stay in his mind all night as Yuuya prepares himself for another long study session alongside Yuugo stuffing pocky in his mouth and Yuuri now drinking rum and coke so he doesn’t have a hangover in the morning. They study together until all three of them drop their heads on their desks in exhaustion.

Just before Yuuya’s mind shuts down and he falls asleep, he feels someone come and slip a blanket around his shoulders. Yuuya’s snuggles in tight.

_ Just keep smiling. _

* * *

“Sky’s out, thighs out!” Yuugo shouts at exactly seven am, and how he manages to wake up on the dot still surprises Yuuya. Yuuya rubs the sleep from his eyes and peeks over the chip bags. He doesn’t get far before someone is in his face – Yuugo – and something is pushed into his hands – instant coffee, courtesy of Yuuto – and Yuuya smiles.

“Good morning,” Yuuya mumbles, lifting his head up enough to see his friends. While Yuugo and Yuuto are up and moving around the dorm room, Yuuri is still fast asleep on the table, face smushed between the pages of his textbook. There are several empty glasses stained with rum and coke, which makes Yuuya think that Yuuri will be waking up with a hangover – again.

Thankfully, it’s Yuugo who has an exam today. On the outside, Yuugo doesn’t look nervous at all: he bustles around the apartment with snacks and drinks, kicking aside dirty laundry and shopping bags. His eyes never once linger to his untouched notes. Yuuya knows that Yuugo was the first one to give up on studying at two am in favour of going for a late-night bike ride.

Yuuya wonders if he should ask how Yuugo is feeling, maybe buy him a coffee before his exam, when in that moment Yuuya sees something else. Standing across the room slurping instant noodles from a china mug, Yuuya sees the flickers of fear through Yuugo’s cheery mask. 

He’s scared.

Yuuya has never seen Yuugo scared before, not even when he heard Rin was sick, or when he blew one of his bike’s tires. Yuugo has been eternally optimistic for as long as Yuuya has known him. And yet, the fear is clearly visible on his face from the way his eyebrows pinch together and his eyes grow hazy. Across the room, Yuugo’s notes lay untouched for hours. He’s done the least amount of studying, claiming that he already knows the material. Yuugo’s grades as passable, but he must still be nervous about the exam.

“Yuugo –”

“I’m so excited for today! I’m going to walk in there and ace my test, and everyone’s going to be cheering my name when I come out!”

“I bet they will be,” Yuuya says. “How about I cheer your name when you come out? I find that I’m studying better if I’m outside of this stuffy dorm room. Can I?”

“Sure, but I’ll be the first one out of that exam for sure!”

Yuuya lets himself believes Yuugo’s lies. Like yesterday, Yuuya gets changed into comfortable study clothes and brushes out his hair. Yuugo has been awake for hours it seems, and he stands by the door bouncing on his heels until Yuuya is ready to go. Even when they’re out of the door, Yuugo doesn’t stay still, either moving his hands or chatting amiably, never settling down. 

This morning the sun hasn’t quite slipped through the clouds, and it makes the walk rather dreary. Yuugo tries to act as the sun, never sitting still and shining his light over everyone, but the more they walk the louder he tries to act. His exam room is in the engineering building, also known as the nicest building and department on campus. It’s the largest tower stretching towards the grey sky and lined with hundreds of windows through which you can see students settled in the hallways. Yuugo’s exam is on the top floor of the building where there are hundreds of students anxiously waiting for the doors to open.

When they get to the top of the stairs, Yuugo’s mask cracks. He stands stiff at the stairs, not going to greet any of his classmates. 

Yuuya takes Yuugo’s hands and leads him out of the path from the stairs and towards one of the walls where they can sit down until the exam starts. Because Yuugo hasn’t brought any of his study materials, he fiddles with his hands and bites his nails. 

“I’ll stay with you until the doors open, OK?” Yuuya says.

“You don’t have too,” Yuugo tells him, trying to brush off the concern. “I’ll be fine! I’ll go chat up to one of my classmates, and …” His voice peters off. The fear seeps through his wide eyes. “I’m … glad you’re here.”

Yuuya squeezes Yuugo’s hand tight. “Me too.”

When the doors open, Yuuya sees Yuugo off with a wave and a cheer of “Rev it up!”, and it makes Yuugo smile even a little bit before he heads into the room. Once again, Yuuya hurries off to the cafe to buy another tall latte, and then heads back to the engineering building to set up his study session. This time, he finds a little nook where four chairs are around a wide, circular table. When Yuugo comes out of the exam room, he need only look left to see Yuuya; and Yuuya will see Yuugo right away.

There’s a small hope within Yuuya that Yuugo will be the first to leave the exam: Yuugo is a quick thinker and trusts his gut instincts. He’ll answer questions quickly, not letting himself overthink anything.

However, Yuugo doesn’t leave with the first group of students after the hour, or with any of the students after the second hour. The exam gives four hours for all students, so maybe he’s taking his time. After all, an engineering exam might require complex calculations. After the third hour passes though, Yuuya grows worried. He knows what room Yuugo is meant to exit from and Yuuya hasn’t seen him pass by. Yuugo doesn’t dawdle in school, so he must still be writing …

An anxious feeling settles in Yuuya’s stomach. What’s happening to Yuugo in the room?

For the final hour, Yuuya doesn’t study, his mind too focused on Yuugo’s mental state inside that room. With each studying passing by, Yuuya feels his heart begin to race. It climbs up his throat, choking him. Yuuya feels sick to his stomach. Unlike with Yuuto where Yuuya had felt quite sure he’d be OK, Yuuya is worried about Yuugo. How is he doing? Will he pass this class? What will happen?

When the door swing open and the tufts of Yuugo’s blue and yellow hair appear, Yuuya leaps off his seat and embraces him. Yuugo’s face is shaky and pale, and he buries it into Yuuya’s shoulder. A muted sob escapes his lips; Yuuya’s fingers snake into Yuugo’s hair and rub back and forth along his scalp. Slowly, Yuuya begins moving them back to the chairs, where he settles Yuugo into one. He’s crying freely now, fat tears on his rosy cheeks.

“I don’t know if I passed!” Yuugo cries. His puts his head into his hands and heaves a shaking breath. “W-what if I fail, Yuuya! What if I have to repeat a class? What if I –”

Yuuya presses a hand to Yuugo’s shoulder, not meaning to silence him; it happens anway, Yuugo’s mouth hanging open while he looks upwards. His nose is running now too. Yuuya reaches into his pocket for a tissue which he presses into Yuugo’s hands.

“I don’t know that. I don’t know what will happen. But” – his fingers knead Yuugo’s shoulder – “I do know that we can talk about this, and we can go get something warm to eat. Hot food is good when you’re upset.”

Sniffling, Yuugo nods. His eyes linger towards Yuuya’s study materials. “Aren’t you … scared? Of the exam. Of failing. Of …” His voice peters off, and he lets out a heavy sigh.

Yuuya is. He’s terrified about his own exam. He doesn’t think he knows enough, and he’s not sure any amount of studying will prepare him for his test. And yet, right now Yuuya can’t be bothered to care about studying. He wants to be there for his friends; helping them all out will, in turn, help him out.

“I am,” Yuuya says, “and I think the exam will still be OK. Now come on, let’s go find a ramen shop. Why don’t we even take your bike out, let off some steam too? I heard you leave early this morning for a ride, and I bet that helped. Wouldn’t you like to ride your bike again?”

Yuugo nods. He wipes his nose on the back of his hand and gives a shaky smile. While Yuuya packs up his belongings, Yuugo finishes off the cold vanilla latte – like Yuuto, not bothering that it tastes like cold milk with espresso – and paces around the area. Since all the students in his class are done their exam, this hallway is now empty and quiet. The further down to the main floor they travel, the louder it becomes. Students are eagerly talking about their past and future exams, sharing tips, or just being a comforting ear to listen to their friends’ troubles. 

By the time they get to the bottom of the stairs, Yuugo is in far better spirits. He talks about his bike and taking Yuuya out on a country road, and about how fast he can ride it. Walking just a step behind him, Yuuya’s heart beats fast as he listens to Yuugo chat. Like the wind he rides through, Yuugo is free and wild. He wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks his mind; he’s got masks, sure, but they crackle as quickly as he puts them up. 

“Hey, Yuuya?”

Yuuya blinks. Ahead of him, Yuugo has now turned to face him.

“You’re a great friend. Thanks.” And Yuugo’s blushing, Yuuya realises, and his own cheeks are hot because of it.

“T-thanks, Yuugo.” Chuckling, Yuuya steps forward and links arms with his roommate. “Now come on, let’s go eat!”

* * *

“Rise and shine!” Yuugo says, and while it’s not as cheesy as the past two days have been, it’s unfortunately six am this time, and through bleary eyes Yuuya can see that Yuuri is strangling Yuugo. Today Yuuri is as awake as Yuugo, though the former got a good sleep last night and the latter hasn’t slept yet. There are deep caves under Yuuri’s eyes, cheeks sagging, face wan. All in all, he looks terrible, and this time it’s not from a hangover.

It doesn’t help that Yuugo is the epitome of rainbow and sunshine, even while strangled.

“I’m already awake,” Yuuri snarls, letting go of Yuugo’s throat and settling back on his cushion. Around the table, there are less drink glasses and more snacks: Yuugo’s hoard of junk food was put to good use, it appears. Yuuya can’t remember much of the night, but he had fallen asleep.

With two of them done their exams, the room is a bit less anxiety-ridden. It’s not less cleaner since Yuuto is still over, passed out on Yuuya’s bed, but with only Yuuya and Yuuri studying, the panic has decreased. Yuuya’s glad; however, looking over to Yuuri, his friend appears white as a ghost. He looks like he’s about to vomit.

“Are you … OK?” Yuuya asks.

“Fine,” Yuuri grinds out. He flips through his notes, eyes bloodshot. “I’m fine, Yuuya.”

He doesn’t look fine, and Yuuya won’t let him suffer alone. Sidling up to him, Yuuya says, “Your exam’s at noon, right? We’ll go together. I like studying outside of the dorm room, and it’ll give me another reason to go get a latte.”

Before Yuuri has a chance to open his mouth, Yuugo has appeared with a tall glass of orange juice. “Bottoms up, cabbage-head. It’s not spiked though.”

Yuuri pushes it away. “Go away.”

“You need energy though,” Yuugo insists. “At least eat something – I don’t even think you ate the snacks last night.”

Yuuya’s eyes turn back to the table. Yuuto went to sleep early, which means … did he and Yuugo really eat all of that? Blushing, Yuuya looks back to Yuuri. “You might feel better if you eat something, Yuuri. Even just a couple crackers and some water.”

Their words fall on deaf ears. Yuuri stands up from the table, still dressed in yesterday’s rumpled clothes, and gathers up his belongings. Before Yuugo or Yuuya have a chance to talk to him, he storms out of the room and slams the door behind him. Yuuya listens for the sounds of his footsteps which travel to the right, towards the stairs leading out of the dorm complex. When Yuuri is for sure gone, Yuuya heaves a sigh. He hadn’t meant to come off as overbearing, though he supposes he might have been pushy.

“He does know we can tell he’s scared, right?” That’s Yuugo, arms crossed with a smirk on his lips. “He thinks he’s so stoic and cool, but we can all see how nervous he is.”

Yuuya nods. “We’ve all been scared for these exams. I’ll go talk with him though, after he’s had a bit to cool down.” Yuuya gives Yuuri thirty minutes alone before he goes off in search of him. The first place he goes to his the cafe: an unlikely place for him since Yuuri doesn’t like people, but also because Yuuya wants a latte. He then goes to the building the exam room is in, crossing the field towards a large tower. The funding for this building is as much as the engineering department, and so walking down the hallways Yuuya can see the wealth. 

The exam room happens to be in the basement this time, tucked back in a room at the end of a long hallway. Yuuya finds Yuuri sitting directly in front of the door, knees pulled up to his chest. His head is down and buried in a book that balances on his legs, though since his face is so close Yuuya doubts he can see anything. 

Instead of talking to him directly, Yuuya settles down next to Yuuri, pulling his knees up to his stomach. Yuuri doesn’t move an inch, but his breathing increases. In the silent hallway, Yuuri’s palpitating heart is an earthquake shaking the walls.

For a moment, neither of them say or do anything. Yuuri remains still, and Yuuya remains solemn, and together the exist in the empty hallway. It’s long before the exam, so no one has come by.

Then Yuuri leans a bit, toppling over, and his head comes to rest on Yuuya’s arm. It can’t be comfortable, but Yuuri doesn’t move. Moments later, his breath evens out. Yuuya tilts his head down so that he can see that Yuuri’s eyes have slipped close and his mouth has hung open just a bit. At last, Yuuri has fallen asleep. He looks peaceful when he sleeps, pointed features drawn together. Of the four of them, Yuuri has been the serious one, the edgy one, the one to hide his feelings under sarcasm or rudeness. It makes sense that, rather than face his fears, he’s run from them. He’s exhausted himself hiding his anxieties, and at last he’s passed out from them.

Yuuya slouches down a bit so that Yuuri’s head is more comfortably elevated, and he doesn’t move after that. Even when the hallway begins to fill up with students, Yuuya doesn’t budge from his spot. He lets Yuuri sleep; he’s studied enough.

Just before the exam room doors open, Yuuya nudges Yuuri’s head and helps him sit upright. Yuuri’s guards go up all at once and he bristles from the touch, but the soft light in his eyes never leaves. Deep down, Yuuya knows Yuuri is thankful.

“I believe in you,” Yuuya says. “Stay strong, Yuuri.” He holds out the vanilla latte, now cold. “Bottoms up.”

Yuuri tips his head back to take the drink, and grimaces when he lowers the cup. “How can you drink something so disgustingly sweet?”

“Caffeine.”

The doors swing open and Yuuri hops to his feet. Just before he heads out, he turns away to Yuuya. His lips are curled just a bit, corners flicked up – it’s a smile, no matter how small. Yuuya smiles back and waves to him, and when the doors close, Yuuya snuggles into the spot. He knows Yuuri will be OK.

* * *

There’s a latte in his face and scones by his cheek, and neither of those things Yuuya has the ingredients for in the dorm. He lifts his head and rubs his eyes, and is surprised to find three faces looking back at him.

“Good morning, MaiamiU!” Yuugo shouts, and embraces him in a hug. From his spot at the coffee table, Yuuya tumbles back, and he doesn’t have a chance to get up until Yuugo is off him and trying to feed him scone. Kneeling by him are Yuuto and Yuuri, both awake at whatever ungodly hour it is, and smiling. 

Smiling …

Yuuya sits up. “My exam? I haven’t missed it, have –”

“Yuuya,” Yuuri deadpans, “do you think Yuugo would let you sleep in? Relax. You’re fine.”

“Besides,” Yuuto says, “we’re going with you, just like you’ve gone with us.”

Yuuya blinks. He’s gone with his friends every day because he wants to support them and he cares about their well-being; however, he never expected anyone to come with him. He was just doing a friendly gesture and getting some fresh air. But what his friends are doing can be nothing other than an act of kindness. They’re brought him food and caffeine; the room, while not spotless, is much cleaner than it has been all week. They’ve all woken up before him and are in good spirits, and –

Yuuya’s eyes fill with tears.

They care about him.

With a sob, Yuuya stumbles forward and embraces Yuugo. His hands reach out and latch onto the shirts of Yuuto and Yuuri, and with Yuugo’s help the four of them come together. As tears slip down his cheeks, Yuuya hugs his friends tight. He cares about them all so much and they care about him, and at such an important time like this Yuuya can’t help but be emotional.

“Thank you. Thank you so much, all of you, for everything, and I don’t know how else to thank you or what I can do, but you all mean so much to me, and –”

A finger is pressed to his lips.

“You’re welcome.”

Yuuya nestles closer. When he goes to take his exam, he won’t be alone. His friends are with him, standing alongside him. 


End file.
